Talking It out over Burgers
by Roslin Fan
Summary: Buzz reveals his concerns about Rusty, and Sharon takes action...


Sharon looked up when she heard the knock on her office door. "Come in." She smiled when she saw it was Buzz. "Hi, Buzz, what can I do for you?"

He sat in front of her desk. "Um, I wanted to talk about Rusty."

She frowned. "He hasn't been rude to you, has he? I know he can get...you know."

He put up his hands. "No, Captain. He's been great. He's so smart. That's not the problem."

She leaned forward to show she was listening. "What is it, Buzz?"

He lowered his head. "That case got to him, ma'am. Bad. I just...he needs someone to talk to."

She nodded. "He does, but he won't talk to a therapist." She sighed. "Believe me, I've tried."

"He'll talk to you, though, right?"

"Sometimes. I have to be careful not to push him." She smiled. "Thank you, Buzz."

He nodded. "And Kris ran out of here crying. You should...I mean, it-"

"It's all right, I got it. He was supposed to come clean about not wanting the same things she did. I guess it didn't go well."

"He didn't look happy either."

She frowned. "No, he didn't. He didn't want to hurt her, and he had to. That couldn't have been easy." She tried to put a positive spin on it. "I'll take him to his favorite burger place. Maybe he'll talk to me over shakes."

He nodded. "I'll get out of your hair, Captain. For what it's worth, I think you're doing a great job."

She smiled, and Buzz left her office. She started clearing up. With the case solved there was nothing pressing she couldn't handle the next day. Her foster son needed her more than the city.

She exited her office, shutting the light off behind her. She found Rusty in the breakroom. "Hey." She'd even started talking like a teenager.

He frowned.

"I guess it didn't go well." She gave a sympathetic smile. "Come on, we'll talk about it over burgers and shakes."

He raised a brow. "You're leaving?"

She nodded. "Case is solved. I can finish the paperwork tomorrow."

"Okay. I'll just grab my bag."

/

They rode in her car. The silence enveloped them.

"Rusty, I know there are things you don't always want to tell me, but I'm here and ready to listen, okay?"

"You're not gonna tell me to see a shrink?"

She snorted. "No. You told me you don't want to, and I'll honor that."

"Okay. Well, Kris got hurt. I didn't want to hurt her, but you were right, so..."

"It'll be okay. It had to be done, and it's a shame; she's such a nice kid, but there's..."

"Yeah."

"About the case-"

"Sharon, I'm fine. Her story...it just..."

"Reminded you of yours."

He nodded.

"Rusty, that girl told someone she thought she could trust her secret, and it got her killed. It was terrible, but I swear I would never let anything happen to you."

"That's what the FBI agent told her."

"The FBI didn't live with her. And she was an informant, actively putting herself at risk. So, it's not the same, honey."

"I don't have the heart rate monitor."

"You have me."

He snorted, but she could hear the smile forming. "All right, Sharon. I still feel...that girl was so young."

"Yes, she was."

"Sharon, do you really...I mean, after everything, is college possible?"

"Honey, as smart as you are, college is more than possible. I want the very best for you. We all do."

He was quiet a moment, and she let him think. Concentrating on her driving. They were almost at the restaurant.

"Who decides what's best for me?"

She hummed. "Only you can really decide that, but I'll be here to guide you and help you find it."

He nodded. "So if I don't end up married with kids, that's okay?"

She snorted. "I ended up married with kids, and aside from my kids, it wasn't what was best for me, so why would I push that on you?"

"Will you tell me about it, if I ask?"

She nodded. "I think that's fair if I expect you to tell me what bothers you."

"Was he...he didn't hurt you, did he?" She could hear the fear and concern.

"We hurt each other, but not physically, and nothing we couldn't handle." She sighed. "Some people just shouldn't be together, and it took me a while to figure that out. And even then, well, our finances were tied together, so I couldn't divorce him."

"That sucks."

"Yeah, and at the time, I was a devout Catholic." He snorted, and she continued, "I've lost my faith a bit of late, but when we were deciding what to do, a separation made the most sense."

"And now?"

"I don't know. It's not like there's anyone lining up to date me, or anything."

"I don't know about that, Sharon."

"Really? Do you know something I don't?"

He shrugged. "People look at you. Men and women. I know _that_ look, and I see it directed at you a lot."

She felt the slight blush creeping up. "Oh, I guess I've gotten used to people disliking me, and I haven't noticed."

"I'm just sayin. If you wanted to get out there, you've got game."

"I'm not sure I'm ready."

"Me neither."

She reached for his hand. "And that's okay."

She pulled up to the restaurant, feeling better that they talked. There was still something bothering him, but she'd get that out of him later. She wasn't Chief Johnson, but she could still get the truth when she needed to.


End file.
